Judgment
by jester's pen
Summary: In which Gintoki's soul is judged.


Judgement

AN: The things I want to write about at night sometimes worry me... And anyone who finds an idea of Hell offensive, this is just a creative idea of it. Please just enjoy.

Gintoki's soul is judged by demons in Hell.

Edited for a few mistakes.

* * *

Hell was reserved for demons. Those bloodthirsty and cruel enough, who killed for no other purpose than to kill, were sentenced to their prison in these fiery depths. Yet many thought that they would be saved from hell; they were not demons after all.

They did not think that even humans could become demons if they sinned long enough.

Now and then, the council of demons, those who passed judgement on the living, would review the souls that could potentially join their numbers in Hell. They chose to judge the souls that were most likely condemned to their Hell.

Now they had a new soul to judge. An unknown voice spoke: "_This one deserves punishment." _It was harsh and grating, filled with eons of ugly hatred.

The council- all unseen, all with eyes- gazed upon a tear in space; there played a ghastly scene. A silver haired human wielding a sword was walking towards a hideous sunset. His expression was solid, steel built in his eyes as he walked among the corpses of the fallen. He was unaware that he was being judged.

They observed in interest. "_He kills others in other to live,_" the hateful voice hissed. "_His life is worth so many more."_

Some of the council seemed to agree. "_It is true,_" said another, its voice softer, more venomous. "_Many would have lived, had this human died long ago._" This silver warrior's fate was so close to Hell, they already referred to him as a demon. To them, he was human no longer.

"_His life would be penance for others,_" said another thoughtfully.

Another added, "_A sin, a sin.__"_

"_Yet he saved others,_" added a husky, spitting voice, and the image in the tear changed; the silver headed warrior fought in the rain against terrible foes in order to protect his remaining comrades. The council murmured their acknowledgement.

"_Other lives continue because of him. For that, his sin is disqualified._" The image of the warrior disappeared. It was replaced by a child-version of him, sitting on top of a rotting body, eating left over rice bits from a bloody sack. This brought shrieks of delight from some of the demons.

The hateful voice purred, "_He was a demon from birth. His own kind labelled him a demon. He ate from his kind's remains. He sat, unfeeling, upon their corpses. Like a demon._"_  
_

That cry was repeated. "_Like a demon,"_ said one. "_A demon_," said another.

"_He was a child,_" said a soft voice, uniquely familiar to those in the council, making a few hiss. The image of that unmoving child was replaced by another time, when the silver haired boy was a starving street urchin, lost in a sea of death. The sunken look in his eyes was shocking. "_He ate to live. He steeled his heart to keep it from breaking."_

_"Then that sin does not count,_" said the venomous voice in disdain_. _"_Children are innocent. They hold no sin in the world. So far, he is spared."_

The hollow child was erased and a the man's life was drawn; his entire life flashed before the council in a flurry of colors; red blood was shed, both demon and human alike, golden rays of the sun peaking for brighter mornings, white smiles, and always a flash of silver wherever he walked.

The council spoke in ominous choruses, voicing their opinions.

"_He killed so many._" Human screams split the world of the living._  
_

"_He fights to save a ruined country._" Fire burned down a great and mighty castle of Edo.

"_There is hatred, fury, and darkness for revenge in his heart._" The same man, once a demonic child, roared as he took down his enemies like flies, watched a grand castle burn, sitting in the rain, blood running through his hands, murder in his eyes-!

But there was the one who saw beyond that.

"_He killed to protect those who wished to protect him._" The familiar voice whispered this. Screams of loss nearly deafened the cries of love and safety.

The council shifted, the mood tense. Very rarely did they get worked up over a single _soul._

"_He fights to save what he once lost to own kind._" Fire burned down a single wooden dojo, students screaming inside. One demon cursed in a serpentine language.

"_And his fights his hatred with love,_" the gentle speaker said. "_Even as he wishes for fire and death, he fights with water and life. Someone he loved was taken away from him. His grief was great- and even then, it was controlled._" The warrior, once a suffering child, roared in pain as he watched his comrades fall, watched his dojo burn, kneeling in the rain, tears in his hands, with pain in his eyes-!

This time, the tear in space shattered, the council screeched in alarm. The familiar voice, so close to everyone, repeated, "_Someone he loved was taken from him.__" _

The rest of the council groaned and spat and whimpered upon hearing the word. Love. A snarl from the hateful voice silenced them.

Finally, a cool and cold voice cut through all the din: "_His soul will not be judged yet,_" it decided icily. "_Judgement finds him favorable enough to postpone his fate. Until his sins are certain, his doom is undecided._"

The voices of the council grunted in acceptance, before fading away. One by one, their voices were mute, their watching eyes closed. It was silent, the void of Hell now cheated of one demon.

Elsewhere, that demon sat on a chair, lazing with a JUMP issue in his hands. His eyes were no longer a frenzy of hurt and suffering. But he never forgot, even as his two apprentices shouted at him to find work.

"C'mon, Gin Chan! We're going to run out of food soon!"

"We're only be able to afford _sukonbu_, you know. And even YOU don't like that-."

"Shut up! Can't you see that your Gin San is reading? Give a man some peace!"

He would only remember, and then let go.

* * *

Who honestly thinks Gintoki would be sentenced to punishment? Here, I made it uncertain, so you guys decide.

This was interesting to write about. Hope someone enjoyed it.


End file.
